Got to Fight Without You
by mid-sweettalk
Summary: Demi meets a beautiful, mysterious girl around town, but they don't really speak. What happens when they both enter the same singing competition? Demena, F/F femslash
1. Chapter 1

Deep breath. In. out. You've got this girl, she told herself. Even if you don't make it, you have Miley. She'll support you, no matter what. Don't stress. It's just an audition. Demi ran through the lyrics in her mind, humming the melody to herself. Just don't forget the lyrics.

She felt a pressure on her hand and opened her eyes to look at her best friend.

"Demetria Devonne, if you don't relax this minute-"

"Okay, Miles. Don't worry about it. I'm fine." She smiled at her friend, and when it was returned, Demi found her confidence coming back. Oh yeah. She _had_ this. The door to the audition room opened, and Demi knew the previous hopeful would be exiting. At her name being called, Demi looked up, and all thought ran from her mind.

Because exiting the room, with a smile on her face and a lip between her teeth, was _that girl_.

**Chapter 1**

It was a really hot day, Demi thought as she pulled her hair up from off the back of her neck. She secured it behind her head with a clip and turned to her best friend. Miley pulled her own hair into a messy bun, and then dropped her hand to tangle their fingers together.

Demi wondered when this had happened with them, the first time they'd felt close enough to each other to hold hands, link arms, kiss goodbye. Comfortable enough with each other to be such touchy-feely friends. To Demi, it felt like it'd been that way since they'd met, but it couldn't have started off that way. Oh, well. She'd think about it more later. Right now they needed to find a nice tree to sit under that didn't have little kids swinging from the branches.

They finally found one, a tall, thick tree with a completely shaded underneath, and only one teenaged boy reading against the trunk. The settled down in the shade, taking out their respected time-passing items; they both had their iPods, Demi had her lyric book, and Miley had her reading book.

They started off both leaning against the trunk, side-by-side, but as time passed, Miley leaned over to lay her head on Demi's legs. Demi continued to look around the park, searching for inspiration. The playground was just in front of them, and she watched with mild amusement at the games of tag, hide-and-seek, and random chase occurring between the young children. There were mothers sitting on benches, conversing with each other while keeping an eye on their children; fathers were pushing daughters on swings, waiting to catch them at the bottom of the slides, and tossing baseballs to their sons; a few teens were there as well, probably older brothers and sisters, spinning them on the merry-go-round and tire swings. Demi took all of this in as she watched. She knew that the teenagers were only there because their parents weren't able to be, but that they still enjoyed spending time with their siblings. The same occurred with Demi and Madison, though the occasions when Maddie wasn't unbearably annoying were rare.

Family, she thought. The one love that never really disappears, even under hatred. Love is always there. She looked down to jot some lyrics, but a movement caught her attention, and she looked back up.

Sitting off the to the side of the playground, a sketchbook on her raised knees, was a beautiful, dark-haired Latina. She was staring intently at her sketchbook, her pencil fluidly moving across the page, and Demi briefly wondered what the picture was of. Demi watched as the girl's pencil stopped moving and a flush rose to her cheeks. Her head moved to look up, and Demi quickly looked away before she could be caught staring. Her pencil tapped nervously against her lyric book while she waited to be caught, for the girl to smirk at her knowingly or worse, be disgusted.

She knew what people probably thought when she and Miley got all touchy-feely in public, but honestly she didn't care. Miley was her best friend. People could think what they wanted. Sure, they'd made out once - but that was only on a dare, and it hadn't affected their friendship (the touch-stuff had started by then, at least). But Demi couldn't figure out why it hurt so much to imagine this stranger with disgust aimed at her.

Soon enough, Miley couldn't read anymore because the sun had started its descent, and Demi had almost five pages of song lyrics - all about that stranger. As she and Miley walked past the playground towards the front gate, Demi steered her eyes away from the beauty.

But she couldn't help a backwards glance.

As she turned to see the girl one last time, she recognized the flush on the girl's cheeks, the stiffness of the girl's body as she tried to appear as though she hadn't moved at all. Demi felt a small, but undeniable pang of joy that the girl had been watching her.

It was almost a month later that Demi saw the girl again. Demi had gone back to the park since then, of course, as she did almost every day with Maddie or Miley, but she hadn't even glimpsed the Latina again.

Now she was in the grocery store. They needed milk and bread and eggs… mostly things for the upcoming weekend's breakfasts. It was a Friday, and as Demi pushed the cart around the store, she thought of what her mother would make for the family the next day. She rested one foot on the bottom tray of the cart and pushed off with the other, gliding down the aisle while taking the needed things off the shelf as she passed them. She grabbed a box of pasta, only to drop it as the cart suddenly stopped, and the handlebar of the cart smashed into her stomach. Without the cart's forward momentum, she fell backwards and onto the floor. She vaguely heard herself groaning, the breath knocked out of her. She forced herself to sit up and see what had stopped the cart in the first place.

Demi's heart sped up at the sight of long, dark hair. Was it-?

But no, it was just some girl, much younger than Demi, but tall for her age. They both muttered their apologies and made sure the other was alright before the girl ran off. Demi continued around the corner, sighing because it would have been too good to be true if it had really been-

She stopped in her tracks.

There she was.

She was leaning against the cart, texting, looking bored while a woman she assumed was her mother placed item after item into the cart. Demi couldn't believe her luck. The girl _had_ to live nearby. Demi wondered where she lived, what her house, her room looked like, what her bed felt like, whether the springs would squeak when…

Demi felt herself flush. Where the hell did these thoughts come from? Images flashed through her mind of what she was sure was the answer to that question, and of what she wanted the girl to do in _that place_…

Okay, Demi was full-on blushing now. And she hadn't even _spoken_ to the girl yet! What was _wrong_ with her? Demi snapped out of her daydream to see the girl… exiting the store. Demi felt a desperate sadness that she'd missed her chance to speak with the girl. With a sigh, Demi picked up the last item on the list and went to checkout. As she placed her groceries on the conveyor belt, she thought about how the girl probably wouldn't even remember her from the park. It _had_ been weeks ago.

The person in front of her was paying now. Demi turned as she was tapped on the shoulder. Her eyes met brown ones, tan skin, and that luscious dark hair. Her heart sped up again, but this time, she wasn't disappointed.

Ohmigod.

Itwasher.

Those perfect lips opened, and she swore the effin _voice _of an _angel _spilled from them.

"Hey, sorry," her angel said, "can I get in front of you real quick? All I need is this pack of gum… I forgot to get some the first time through, and my mom's waiting in the car for me…."

Demi vaguely realized that she was nodding as she tried to think of a smooth (what?) way to introduce herself (since when did Demi need to be _smooth-talking_ a _girl_?). The girl smiled at her (God, did she have a beautiful smile…) and voiced her thanks before handing the pack of gum to the cashier. Come on, Demi. Say something. The cashier handed the girl her receipt. Demi. Come. On.

But then the girl was gone, after one quick smile to show her thanks again.

Dammit, Demi.

As the cashier started ringing up her many groceries, Demi rested her elbows on the counter and put her head in her hands. When she made it out to her car, she hit her head (not _too_) hard against the steering wheel. When she made it home, she put the groceries away and ran up to her room to bury her face in her pillow.

Thoughts of _her _filled her mind. Her heart beat faster at thoughts she'd never had about a girl before. Feelings that were completely new to her. Had she _ever _felt this way before, about _anyone_?

No. Whoever this girl was, she was making Demi _feel _for the first time. Demi realized the amount of control that meant the girl had over her.

Though it should have scared her, this realization, Demi could only think of how much she _wanted _this girl.


	2. Chapter 2

Sometimes she wished her mother had wanted another child. Selena would have loved to have a little brother or sister. Preferably a brother; her sister would probably be too girly for her to stand.

Taylor told her she had a gift with children. Selena guessed that was why she found herself drifting from park to park, playground to playground, looking for the inspiration only a child-in its truly happy moments-could provide.

She studied the playground in front of her, with the children running haywire. She tried to pick one child to focus the sketch on, but found she couldn't. The entire situation was just too perfect. So she started lightly outlining the frame of the playground. Leaving just the outline, she decided to start from the back, sketching the body of a father mid-throw of a baseball to his son.

And that's when she realized someone was staring at her.

Her hand froze, and she felt the flush rise to her face. She looked up, and her eyes were immediately drawn to a large tree across from the playground. There were two girls there, both with headphones in their ears. One girl, with light-brown hair, was laying in the other, darker-haired girl's lap, reading a book. The brunette was holding a notepad, pencil poised to write. Selena's eyes followed up the girl's body.

God, she was beautiful. More than that, really, the girl was ridiculously hot. But Selena didn't want to only like her because of her looks. That wasn't Selena's style.

She flipped the page in her sketchbook, suddenly inspired by the stranger.

She decided not to draw the other girl at all. She took away from the simple extravagance of the brunette writing in her journal or whatever it was she was holding. Selena wanted to think the girl was like her, and was writing down song lyrics in the notebook.

She went to work right away, skipping over the background and focusing on the girl. By the time it was dark, Selena only had the details of the girl's face to draw. She'd been attempting the girl's features for a while now, but she couldn't get them to look like-

Shit, she was leaving.

The saying, "Take a picture; it'll last longer," came to mind. It was _really _too bad Selena didn't have her camera. She contemplated going up to the girl before she was gone for good. She very nearly did, but then the girl turned around to look _at her_. Selena blushed and looked down quickly, hoping to God she hadn't been caught.

And then the girl was gone, and Selena was sure she'd missed her chance.

A month later, and Selena hadn't had any such inspiration like that she had gotten from the girl. She drew her repeatedly, but was never satisfied with the way the drawings turned out. She started so many songs, but could never finish them. Taylor said she was obsessed, but Selena didn't think so.

All she needed was to sit with the girl for one more time (at least). _Then _she would be able to finish that sketch, write that outtro. And then she would be done. She swore this, not only to herself, but to Taylor also, which was probably a mistake. Taylor had a habit of looking into things romantically. She was asking Selena nearly every day how her "new love" was. Selena always replied that she didn't have a "love" for this girl (she didn't even _know _her, how could she fall for her?). Selena _would _tell her to piss off, but Taylor also tended to take mock-angry words for fighting ones, and Selena couldn't lose the one person she could talk to about girls.

Okay, so Selena was gay, or _technically_, a lesbian. And Taylor was the only one who knew this, partially because Taylor was her only real friend, and partially because Taylor was also gay.

Once-upon-a-time, Selena had had a tiny, practically miniscule crush on Taylor (_ahem_; she'd thought she was in love) but Taylor thought it was strange to suddenly be dating her best friend. Things had gone back to normal with them, though, except they were more comfortable with linking arms and holding hands and the like.

Selena wondered if the two girls in the park had been dating, or were just good friends?

Damn, back to _that _again.

But the light-haired girl had seemed impeccably not-gay, straight as a ruler. Selena's gay-dar was highly accurate. They were probably (_hopefully_) just good friends, like she and Taylor were.

She was texting Taylor now, as she walked through the grocery with her mom. So far, the conversation was Extremely-Hot-Stranger-Girl free.

Nix that.

so hows your girly? had any hot dreams I should know about?

Ugh, Taylor, _really_?

liik ii wuld evn tel u yf ii dyd tay. sooo nott a topic ii wantt 2 dscus w/ mii x

Selena didn't usually talk in text-speak, unless she was excited or trying to purposely annoy Taylor. If the text-talk didn't turn Taylor off the topic, then Selena's bringing up their past relationship would. Taylor didn't like to think about it.

too bad. you know me girl. I want to know *everything*. even the dirty stuff!

Apparently she chose today to not give a damn.

Her mom had finished paying at the checkout lane, and they made their way to the car.

there isnt anything dirty 2 tell, tay. I havent seen her in over a month

She dug through the grocery bags and cursed under her breath. "I forgot to get my gum," she told Mandy, "I'll be right back."

She left the car and walked back into the store. She went to the rack of candy in the checkout lane and picked her pack of cinnamon gum. She turned around, and couldn't believe her luck.

She was there, _right there_, all hers for the taking.

She laughed at herself. She was _too _terrible. "The Taking"?

Slow down, Selena. She might not even like you.

But she was _watching _you in the park.

…True. Okay, a plan then.

If Selena had run into her twice now, surely they would meet again. they couldn't live too far apart. She figured she would just see the girl's reaction for now. Leave "the rest" for another time. Depending on her reaction, that is. She tapped her on the shoulder, and shock appeared on the girl's face as she faced her. Good. She _did _remember her.

"Hey, sorry," she said, though she wasn't in the least, "Can I get in front of you real quick?" She went on to explain, then realized she was close to rambling, and Selena Gomez did _not _ramble over _any_ girl. No matter how sexy. And damn if this girl wasn't _incredibly sexy_.

But the girl was nodding, still not saying anything. Selena smirked and told her thanks. She made sure to give a suggestive wink before she left.

When she made it back to the car, she checked her phone. No reply from Taylor. Selena sent her one anyway, ignoring Mandy's questions about the smile she apparently had on her face.

86 tht lst 1. u wuldnt b leev how yncrdblee sxxxy she iz tay

Yeah. Selena _definitely _couldn't wait until she saw the girl again.


	3. Chapter 3

Demi sat on her bed, her guitar in her lap, humming a work-in-progress melody and strumming different chords. She wrote down side notes in her songbook when she got the sound she wanted. She needed the melody, the harmony, _everything _to match the lyrics perfectly.

These were the lyrics she'd written in the park, on that day so long ago. It had been another month since that day in the grocery store, and Demi craved seeing her again. Maybe she would actually be able to make conversation this time? she didn't want to make a fool of herself. Again.

There was one particular lyric she couldn't find the right chords for. the sensible ones didn't give off the importance of the words, and the less obvious ones make it sound… off. Demi sighed and, promising herself she'd come back to the song, picked up one of the songs she and Miley had written together. She slowly strummed the first chord and let her voice come out.

_I can almost see it_

She stopped playing. Almost immediately, she realized that this song didn't fit her mood, wasn't _right_ enough to get lost in right then. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let go.

_Think of me when you're out, when you're out there_

_I'll beg you nice from my knees_

Yes. Paramore. The lyrics brought to mind that dark hair, those brown eyes, that sweet grin, the slim body…

And then Miley was bursting through her doorway. The strings twanged as Demi pressed too hard on them. "Miley, what the _hell_-"

"Dems, you have to look at this!"

A piece of paper was shoved in her face, and Demi pulled it back so she could read.

"An audition?" she asked Miley.

"No, it's a _competition_." Miley went on to explain that there was an audition to get in, but then it was like _American Idol_ with two rounds; apparently, the winner received a recording contract. "Demi, this could be your big break!"

Demi noted the date on the flyer. "Miles, I can't be ready for something this big in _two _days."

Miley sat next to her on the bed. "Demi," she smiled at her, "I'll be there with you. You have nothing to lose. If you don't make it, fine, but you _will _make it, 'cause you're awesome like that. Come on Dems, you have to do this."

Demi shook her head, reading over the flyer again. She couldn't do this. It was too big, and too soon, and Demi wasn't prepared, and she had to finish that song, and that _damn girl_ kept popping up in her mind… she paused.

That was exactly why she had to do this.

"Okay," she told Miley, "it'll be a welcome distraction." Miley looked at her confusedly for a moment, and Demi thought she'd spilled her secret.

But Miley shook it off and smiled, throwing her arms around Demi and knocking her back onto the bed. "You won't regret this," she whispered in Demi's ear.

Demi hoped to God she wouldn't.

They lay there for a while, Miley resting her head on Demi's chest, her right leg over Demi's, their arms wrapped around each other. Miley gave her more information about the contest.

You had to sing original songs the entire competition (they were looking for "_real" _artists, Miley said). After audition day was over, the judges would narrow it down to fifteen people to enter the competition. They would perform a week later, and the judges would narrow it down further to two people. The next day, those two people would perform one last time, and the winner would be decided, announced, and given the recording contract with Hollywood Records.

After dinner, which Miley stayed for as per usual, they went to work getting Demi ready for Saturday. No instruments were allowed in the audition (this was really feeling like _Idol_) so Demi went through and picked one of her songs that wasn't completely guitar-dependent.

By the time Saturday came around, Demi was ready. She brought her guitar with her for luck, and with Miley by her side also, Demi felt unstoppable…

Until she was next in line to audition. She found it was pretty hard to breathe when you had a life-changing opportunity just minutes away, that if you screwed it up, wouldn't ever be back. She had to remind herself to breathe.

Deep breaths. In. Out. You've got this girl, she told herself. Even if you don't make it, you have Miley. She'll support you, no matter what. Don't stress. It's just an audition.

Demi ran through the lyrics in her mind, humming the melody to herself. Just don't forget the lyrics. Like that was even possible. She felt a pressure on her hand and opened her eyes to look at her best friend.

"Demetria Devonne, if you don't relax this minute-"

"Okay, Miles. Don't worry about it. I'm fine." She smiled at her friend, and when it was returned, Demi found her confidence coming back. Oh yeah. She _had _this. The door to the audition room opened, and Demi knew the previous auditioner would be exiting. At the sound of her name, Demi looked up, and all thought ran from her mind.

Because exiting the room, with a smile on her face and a lip between her teeth, was _that girl_.

Demi froze in her seat. Miley nudged her to stand up, and she did so slowly, mechanically, her eyes glued to the girl in front of her. She was smiling; Demi took this as a sign that she had nailed the audition.

Demi _had _to get this right, now.

The girl hadn't noticed her yet, but as Demi passed her to enter the audition room, their eyes met. The other girl had a spark in her eyes, and the wink she gave sent Demi's heart fluttering even more.

She knew, as she stood in front of the judges, that in order to nail this, she had to forget about the technicalities and just let herself go.

She sang lyrics she had written a while ago, but found herself applying them to the girl outside.

_I want a crush, I wanna fall_

_I wanna be somewhere in the middle, somewhere in the middle_

The girl's face filled her mind as she sang, but she was forced back to reality as the judges stopped her singing. All three judges held up green-colored cards. She did good. Ohmigod, she might actually make it to the competition!

And might get to see _a lot_ more of the girl.

She exited the room with a huge smile on her face, and Miley ran up and hugged her. she rained kisses on her face and said in her ear, "I _told _you you'd do great!"

And then she kissed her on the mouth.

Now, this was nothing _new _to Demi. They kissed each other hello and goodbye pretty much every day. But if the mystery girl was there, she wouldn't know that.

And Demi found herself hoping, for the first time since that day in the park, that the girl _wasn't_ there.

Demi guessed her good luck had ran out.

She could tell the girl was shocked, though she was trying to keep her confident demeanor. Demi tried to untangle herself from Miley, to run after the girl as she shook her head and turned to walk away. But the girl was gone by the time Miley had realized what she was doing and let go.

She was left with extreme confusion from Miley, and the guilty feeling that she had betrayed the stranger, though she didn't even _know _her..

Miley looked hurt that she'd so suddenly (and maybe a bit forcefully, but hey, she was in a rush at the time) pushed her away. After a few minutes of Demi staring at the empty space where the stranger had just been, she turned to her best friend. "Miles," she said softly, and she heard her voice break, "there's something I maybe need to tell you."

She talked as they walked out to Miley's car, starting with that first day. As Miley drove back to Demi's house, she was told of the day in the grocery. When they were pulling up to Demi's house, Miley was told Demi's reasons for pulling away at the audition.

Demi was met with silence. She hoped that Miley would be wholly accepting, but she also dreaded downright dismissal.

Demi got neither.

"So," Miley started slowly, her brow furrowed, "are you gay, or what?"

Demi took a deep breath. "I don't really know," she admitted. "I just know that I _really _like this girl."

"And you don't even know her name?"

Demi felt slightly embarrassed. "No, I don't. But that'll change if we both make it through to the competition next week."

Miley was silent for a few seconds. "Lemme think about this tonight? It's nothing bad; I just… need to think?" She spoke like she was asking for Demi's permission.

"Yeah. No problem. Take as long as you need. I'll um," Demi reached for the door, "I'll see you tomorrow."

She opened the door, and had one foot on the concrete sidewalk, when Miley grabbed her arm. Demi turned back around, and Miley kissed her cheek. "It… it's not what you think, okay? I still love you, Dems. Nothing would change that. _Ever_."

Demi nodded and smiled sadly. What did Miley have to think about then, if she was so sure everything was fine? But she left the car and walked to her house anyway. Now she had to pick a song to play next Saturday. She had a week to perfect it, and she needed to focus on that right now.

She wondered if the mystery girl was good enough to make it to the last round next Sunday. She hoped so.

But what if she decided to drop out of the competition because of Demi? She could never forgive herself. The presence of the other girl made this competition all the more worth it.

She set to work, running through the songs in her notebook. She would make sure to impress the girl. She just had to find a song with the lyrics to express how much she wanted her.

* * *

**Just want to thank y'all for reviewing, it means a lot to me. Sorry for this one being a day late, the fam took me out yesterday. I'll try to be ontime this coming Saturday, alright? Love y'all, PLEASE REVIEW, they're sexy ;) bye loves!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks SO MUCH for those of you that have been reviewing, it means the world to me! And I'm SO SORRY this one is so late, I got a little distracted LOL.**

**DREAFLO09: Thanks so much! Glad you like it!**

**tatimac: Thanks! And trust me, I wanted to kill Miley, too ;)**

**TheJuly11: Well, thanks for reading and reviewing! I'm happy you like it. **

**ms-sleeper: Trust me hun, I know how irresistible Demi's body is haha ;)**

**X: Well damn, thanks! I don't think it's so awesome, but glad you think so! haha (: **

**Okay, on to Chapter 4!**

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Selena had to fight to keep from running. She had to fight to keep her composure in front of the other girls.

But once she was out the door, she was sprinting for her car, tears streaming down her cheeks, her breath coming in choked sobs.

This shouldn't happen. She shouldn't be so upset because a girl she'd _barely spoken to_, a girl whose _name _she didn't even know, had a girlfriend. Because _obviously_ the two girls were _way _more than friends. Selena and Taylor kissed on the cheeks and stuff, but they'd never kissed on the lips like that. Not since the Dating Phase.

So Selena had assumed wrong, and it had led to _this_.

Heartbreak, betrayal, longing, all shoved into this moment. All things she shouldn't be feeling _over a stranger_. Hell, things she almost _never _feels.

She sunk down in the driver's seat and cried against the steering wheel. Pull it together, Selena. You can move on. You nailed the audition. You're more than likely in the competition. You can forget about her.

But that was pretty much impossible when the other girl had more than likely made the competition, too. Shit. Maybe she should just drop out.

But this was a really good opportunity. Selena, effing Selena Gomez, would be _damned _if she were to let it pass her by because of some _girl_.

Incredibly sexy as that girl may be.

She sat up and wiped her eyes. She was gonna _rule _this competition.

Of course, concentrating on _just _the competition was pretty tough for the next week, what with Taylor bringing up who else was _in _the competition every other minute.

Selena spent many a night with her door locked (just a precaution) and the window closed to the nosy neighbors, extremely glad for once that she _didn't_ have any little brothers or sisters to either share a room with her or hear her through the walls, and that her mom and Brian were on a different floor.

She just couldn't get that _damn girl_ out of her mind, hurt though she was.

It was hard for her to admit, but sometimes she caught herself…_thinking_ about _both _of the other girls…_and _Selena herself while she…

Shit. She wasn't supposed to be thinking about this _now_; Taylor was over, and Selena was supposed to be practicing the song for Saturday. She did _not _need to be getting all… flustered with Tay in the room. She'd never let Selena live it down.

She got the email five days ago, Sunday, from the judges, telling her she'd made it through to the competition. Now it was Friday, the day before the first round of competition. Selena, with Taylor's help, had narrowed it down to two songs, one written by Selena, the other co-written with Taylor.

"You don't think they won't let me play our song, do you?" Selena asked. "You know, since technically it's not a completely original song?" She didn't want to sing their song and be disqualified because of it.

"Maybe," Taylor said, thinking. "Why don't you ask them when you get there? Like, prepare both songs, and then decide which one to sing based on what they tell you." She fingered the frets on her guitar, sitting on Selena's bed. Selena was at her piano, shaking her head slowly.

"That's too much to worry about right before I perform. I'll just play my song, to be safe. 'Teardrops' can wait for the final round, if it turns out I can play it."

Taylor smirked. "And if you even make it to the final round." Selena mock-glared at her before turning back to the keys. She'd been working on converting the music of 'Teardrops' to piano almost the entire week. Taylor picked the strings softly in accompaniment.

_Drew looks at me_

_I fake a smile so he can't see_

_What I want and I need and_

_Everything that we should be_

Halfway through the chorus, Taylor dropped out. Selena stopped playing and looked back at her friend worriedly. "Something wrong, babe?" she asked after seeing the look on Taylor's face.

Taylor closed her eyes and shook her head, raising her eyebrows and putting her guitar beside her on the bed. She ran a hand through her hair tiredly while answering, "I'm just tired of hiding. How many more songs are we gonna write with 'he' and 'I love him' blah, blah, etcetera?"

Selena got up and sat next to Taylor, putting an arm around her waist. "It's gonna be like that until one or both of us gets up enough nerve to tell our families. You know this. If we suddenly start singing about girls without talking to them about us first, don't you think that's too much of a um… rude awakening?"

Taylor sighed. "I know, it's just… frustrating sometimes, you know?" She leaned her head against Selena's shoulder. Selena chuckled wryly, giving half a grin.

"Of course I know, Tay. I'm in the same situation as you, aren't I?"

Taylor sighed again and nodded, settling into Selena's body. Selena moved her left arm up to Taylor's shoulders and her right arm to wrap around the front of Taylor's waist. Though Taylor was taller, the girls were used to holding each other, and so the position was not as awkward as it might seem.

The two sat there in comfortable silence for a few moments.

"So, you think Mystery Girl is good enough to make it to the top two?" Selena groaned at her best friend's words. The silence had to end sometime.

"God, Tay, this again?"

Taylor sat up, smirking, the previous moment forgotten. "It's not my fault you're still in love with her. Admit it, you thought the kiss was hot."

Selena glared at Taylor as she felt her face heat up. Damn her body and its refusal to listen to her when Taylor was around. Her guards were so used to being down around her best friend, Selena could never hold them up to her. She couldn't hide her thoughts. Taylor was laughing at her.

"It's not funny," Selena almost-whined (Selena Gomez _never _whined, unless she _really _wanted something). "She still has a girlfriend, and I still can't have her." Taylor rolled her eyes at this.

"That's why you're going to win her over with your blinding talent," she said in a "duh" tone. At Selena's scoff, she added, "Find her when you're singing. Make her think that the lyrics were written about her."

"If I could finish those songs, I could sing one of _them_, and they really _would _have been written about her." She was talking about the lyrics from after the park.

"Well, yea," Taylor picked up her guitar, "but you didn't, so you cant. Maybe you'll be able to finish one for the final round."

Selena sat back at her piano. "Yeah," she said, voice dripping with her infamous sarcasm, "I'll perfect a song to be performed in front of the girl I love in _one night_. Back to work."

Taylor smiled behind Selena's back as she heard the accidental admission. Selena didn't notice, so they went on playing.

Selena was not a nervous wreck. She just _wasn't_.

Okay, maybe she was a little nervous, but she was _not _a wreck.

She was playing ninth out of tenth. The performances were set in the order of their auditions. So the last person to go on would be Mystery Girl.

They had it set up so all the contestants were in the front row of the audience, off to the side and by the entrance backstage. The first two people left their seats. While the first person performed, the next waited backstage. When the first person finished, the second went onstage, and the third was called backstage, and so went the night.

Selena would admit it: the people that went on before her were good. But.

One girl sang a song with a note she couldn't reach.

A boy had a dance routine, which she had to give him props for, but it made him breathless, and he couldn't _sing_. _Very _bad move.

Two more people forgot their words.

So Selena was feeling pretty good about her performance.

They sent her backstage. The boy going before her let his nerves get to him. His voice was too breathy, and it kept breaking. She hoped to God that wouldn't happen to her.

Damn. _Hoping _meant the nervousness was settling in.

The boy finished his song, and apparently didn't realize just how badly he'd performed, because he cheesed at the crowd and walked off still beaming.

The host went back onstage and started introducing Selena.

And then _she _walked backstage.

She seemed nervous; she wasn't as good at hiding it as Selena was. Selena put her confident face on as the girl walked right up to her. But her heart was beating too fast, and she had to force herself to breathe normally. So, okay, she'd had to sit next to Mystery in the audience, but Selena had kept conversation with the boy on her other side. They hadn't been _alone_.

Selena let her eyes slide over Mystery's body for the first time that day. She was wearing black slacks with suspenders; her shirt was red with cheetah print, and a gray fedora topped her outfit off. God, she was too hot.

"H-hi," Mystery stammered. Selena wondered how long the host guy would take.

"Hi?" Selena answered, sounding like a question but not the unconfident kind. Still in charge.

"Um… Listen, about the other day… what you saw…."

"Miss Selena Gomez!" Host-Guy voiced, and Selena quickly turned away and ran onstage. Mystery would be there when Selena was done, she was sure.

She went up to the mic, smiling at the crowd, and when the band started up, she let loose.

Mystery would _always _remember _her _performance.

* * *

**Again, thanks to all of you who reviewed, and PLEASE REVIEW this time, too! It means a lot when you do! If you ever wanna talk to me or anything, message me here, find me on twitter (breathewithyou) or tumblr (bryceisagirlsname) so yup! Kaybai**


	5. Chapter 5

_Morning of the Competition_

Demi was running around the house, trying to get everything ready for the competition. Since she still hadn't heard from Miley, she figured she had to take the bus to the competition, and she had to hurry if she wanted to catch it on time.

She was looking through the kitchen cabinets for something quick to eat, when she heard a key turn in the front lock. "Dem?"

Demi left the kitchen at the sound of Miley's voice. She came into the living room to see Miley all ready to go. "Hey," she said, alerting Miley of her presence.

"Demi, can we talk for a few?"

Demi walked over and took Miley's hand, after making sure the younger girl was okay with it. "Of course, hun." She sat down on the couch, Miley taking her place left to her, and waited patiently for Miley to start talking.

What Miley said was not something Demi expected.

"I'm bisexual," Miley stated bluntly, her eyes wide as she searched Demi's face for her reaction.

"Wait, what?" Demi managed.

Miley's shoulders raised and dropped as she took a deep breath before repeating, "I'm bi. _That's _what I had to think about yesterday, whether to tell you or not."

Demi shook her head as the news sank in. "But, why would you have to think about telling me that? I told you I'm seriously crushing on another girl, why would I have a problem with you being bi?"

Miley squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. "That's _not _all I wanted to tell you, I just-"

Demi saw the frantic look in Miley's eyes about a second before there were hands on the back of her neck and _Miley was kissing her_.

And this was not just another one of their quick pecks. _Nonononono_, this was a real, passion-filled kiss.

One that Demi, surprisingly, found herself returning.

But can you really blame her? How many kids at school would kill to be doing what Demi was doing right then? Most likely all of them.

It was when Demi felt that tingling between her legs that she forced herself to gently push Miley away. "Miles, I-"

"I know, Demi," Miley interrupted softly. "I know you don't like me back, but I like you. I'm really close to being in love with you, but I know you don't feel the same way."

Demi sighed and brought her hands up to stroke the back of Miley's, which were still on the back of her neck. "I'm sorry, Miley. If I could _choose _to love anyone, it would be you. You're great, you're gorgeous, you're my best friend… but you're my sister, Miles, you know?"

"I know, Dem," Miley nodded slowly. "It's okay, okay?" she said with a grin. Demi hesitated before seeing that Miley meant it, and then gave her own grin back.

"Okay," she said, and they both giggled a bit at the overused word.

Miley leant forward and kissed her nose, then her lips, quickly but softly, before grinning and saying, "Let's go win you a competition."

* * *

When Selena ran off without a word, Demi didn't know what to think. She still couldn't get over the fact that she knew her name now.

Selena Gomez. Selena. Selenalenalena. So beautiful. It suited her perfectly.

And then that _effing voice of an angel _came to Demi's ears again. Demi could feel herself slipping, falling for this girl. Again. Already.

Selena kept glancing at her during the performance. She strutted across the stage, and God, the way she moved was… not _sexy _exactly, it wasn't like that, but it was still… _sensual_. Teasing. And Demi _tried _not to get heated up, because she was _about to perform on stage _for Chrissake.

It didn't help matters that Selena made it seem like she'd written the lyrics _for _Demi. Just for Demi.

_Let's go take over the dance floor_

_You be mine and I will be yours_

_Come on and let it play, let me hear you say_

_More, more, more_

The way Selena kept _winking _at Demi during the performance didn't help the feeling that Selena maybe (hopefully) wanted Demi…

When the song ended, the audience cheered, and Selena smiled and took a bow before walking offstage. And back to Demi.

"You were saying?" she said. Her chest was heaving up and down as she caught her breath lost in the performance. Demi had to refocus.

"Oh, um," she closed her eyes and shook her head slightly, attempting to clear the dirty thoughts, "Miley and I, we're not-" she gathered her courage and looked into Selena's eyes, wishing she could telepathically communicate with her, "we're not _together_. We're just friends."

Selena's expression didn't change. Her breathing was back to normal. "Okay," she said. Demi's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as Selena didn't say anything else, but before Demi could question the girl, "Miss Demi Lovato!" was yelled from onstage. Demi shook her head in disappointment before running past Selena and sticking a grin on her face.

She'd show her what was _okay_.

She'd written this song before she "met" Selena, but she let her anger and disappointment show through in the words.

_How do you get here, under my skin?_

_I swore that I'd never let you back in_

_I should have known better_

_Been trying to let you go_

_'Cause here we go, go, go again_

She didn't really realize how much she was getting into the song until she was grinding her hips and smirking at Selena. Selena's body went rigid every time Demi did so; Demi took pride in this, of course. More pride than she usually did.

When the song was over, the cheers were deafening. Demi beamed at the crowd and bounced offstage. She flipped her hair out of her eyes and barely glanced at Selena as she passed her. If Selena thought Demi's being single was "okay" well then-

Her arm was grabbed, and Demi whirled around. Selena's face was inches from hers. "What's _that _about?" Selena asked her. Demi raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Oh come on." Selena put her free hand on her hip. "You tell me you're single and interested, and then you go and ignore me?"

Demi looked down at the hand on her arm with more confidence than she felt. "I never said I was interested. And you obviously don't care about what I do, so what's the problem here?"

Selena dropped her arm. "What if I was just shocked, huh? What if I just thought that _kissing on the lips _wasn't something that _just friends _did, and I didn't know whether to trust you or not? What if I'm afraid to end up being the 'other woman'?" At Selena's suddenly expressionless face, Demi had the feeling that had been much more than she'd intended to say. The host called all the contestants back onstage to announce the top two. "We better go," Selena said. Demi wondered just how complicated the girl actually was.

Once they were all onstage, the judges announced the top three. A girl, Jenna, who'd done really well, Demi thought, was announced first. She stepped forward from the line, and some people clapped, mainly her friends and family in the front. When they announced Demi's name, Miley stood up and cheered, smiling at Demi.

The third name announced made Demi freeze. She glanced at Selena, who was now standing beside her, and then looked back to Miley, giving an almost imperceptible nod to her friend's raised eyebrow. Miley smirked and looked Selena up and down, but Demi shook her head slightly. She'd tell her what had happened later.

The girl next to Miley had stood up for Selena. She was tall, with curly blonde hair, and beautiful. As Miley sat down, Demi caught her friend's lingering gaze on the blonde's body and smiled to herself.

The host was talking again. "And the two people…" dramatic pause, "who tied for first place…" pause, "are…" pause, "Demi and Selena!"

Miley shot back up and ran onstage, followed closely by the blonde, and the host continued talking about the rules for the final round.

Miley was hugging her again, but only kissed her cheek once. "You did great," she said in Demi's ear.

"Thanks, babe," she said back. They pulled apart but kept their hands together. Demi looked over Miley's shoulder. "You check out the blonde?" she asked with a smirk.

Miley just raised both eyebrows. She leaned in closer to whisper. "Her name's Taylor. She and Gomez have been best friends for years, like us. They even dated once, but it didn't work out. So now they're just really close."

"Oh, okay," Demi said. Miley reached up to tuck some hair behind her ear, and Demi saw it was covered in black splotches. Demi took Miley's hand and saw Tay: 555-9570 written on the palm of it. Miley actually blushed (she was usually too confident to blush) as Demi's smile widened. "Miles!" Miley had a small smile on her face as she took her hand back. Demi looked over at Taylor and Selena, who were still talking, and turned back to Miley. "How long were you guys talking?"

"Long enough to get each other's numbers… and for her to ask me out for next weekend."

Demi's smile got wider, and she hugged Miley again. "I'm happy for you," she said in her ear.

Miley smiled and looked back at Taylor. Her eyes freely roamed the tall girl's body, and Demi gently pushed her forward with a "go on" look. But Miley shook her head and turned back to Selena.

"You need to tell me what's going on with you and Gomez," she said. Demi sighed and nodded, taking Miley's hand and leading her backstage. Once they were in a relatively quiet spot, she started talking.

She told Miley about what she'd tried to tell Selena, and her reaction. How Selena had shown a rush of emotion and then acted like it hadn't happened. She _didn't _tell Miley what she'd thought-what she'd felt-when Selena was performing. She didn't even want to admit that to herself.

But she told Miley everything else. And then regretted it.

Because Miley was taking her arm now. And pulling her back onstage. And saying, "_Hell _no, _uh-uh_, y'all are talking this out, _right now_."

Damn. What had Demi gotten herself into now?

* * *

**Sooo... hehe ^^ do you guys hate me? I hope not... cuz I sure do love y'all! Review please, it'll mean the world to me!**

**iHeartPancakes: Well, I'm glad this could be ranked as high as Pancakes on your scale :)**

**dorkndumb: I know right? I hate the host as well. I was envisioning Ryan Seacrest when I wrote that part XD**

**tatimac: I agree :)**

**Ad3n: Thanks for reading and reviewing! :)**

**I'll try to update soon, guys, but no promises, you know me ^^"**

**Love y'all!**


	6. Chapter 6

Selena

Demi's performance was still stuck in Selena's mind as Selena's name was called for the top three. Selena kept smiling and waved at Taylor in the front row, but inside, she had to fight to keep from turning to her left and kissing Demi like there was no tomorrow.

Her name was beautiful, Selena thought. She wondered if it was short for something.

She saw the other girl (Mitchie? Mikey?) standing next to Taylor, cheering for Demi. Part of Selena's heart soared at the reminder that Demi had told her the two weren't dating. That they were just good friends. But another part dropped at the thought of Selena's skepticism, and how she'd just _shoved _her emotions at Demi like that. And then walked away.

Like a coward.

Selena cursed herself. Well, she'd just royally fucked up _her _chances.

Her name was called again, with Demi's name, and Selena didn't realize what for until Taylor was squeezing the life out of her.

Taylor voiced her congratulations, and then she was shoving her hand in Selena's face. _Miley _© _555-2100 _was written on her palm. Miley, she thought, furrowing her eyebrows, Why does that sound so-

Oh. Demi's _friend_. Guess she was single after all.

Selena hugged Taylor again and told her she was happy for her. And then Taylor started in on Demi.

"So? Did you talk to her?"

Selena ran a hand through her hair and tried to think of how to explain what had happened. "Sort of… not the way I wished to talk, though." She explained how she'd lost her cool, had spilled almost all of her feelings to the girl. Had admitted her skepticism and was pretty sure she had zero chance left with Demi.

She _didn't _tell her that she'd fallen in love with Demi during the shorter girl's performance. Or, actually, fallen _more _in love. Selena was pretty sure that she'd fallen for her that first day at the park, and if not, then at the grocery.

But she'd never admit _that _out loud. Shit, Selena had a reputation to uphold.

But… if Demi ever wanted Selena to admit it, she would, she thought right then. It shocked her, thinking this. She realized that Demi was the first girl who'd meant more to Selena than her reputation. Meant more than… anything. If Demi asked her to do something, she would, if it meant Selena got to keep Demi.

No. Bad Selena. Demi wasn't _hers_.

Yet.

Taylor told her to talk to Demi again. "Oh, because that worked _so well _the first time," she said (sarcastically) in reply. Taylor crossed her arms and gave her the Mom-Look. You know the one: where she tilts her head and looks at you like she's all disappointed?

"Selena, you just stop talking to her, you're gonna miss out. She's gonna be gone, and you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

Selena rolled her eyes. "Tay, she's just a girl. I'll get over her. You have your new girl, let's just go now." Selena kept a straight facial expression, but she watched as Taylor searched her eyes; apparently, she found what she'd been looking for.

"You love her, Lena."

Well, there went her Admit-No-Feelings plan.

"No, I don't, Tay; she's just some girl I don't even know."

"Selena, you told me you loved her. Yesterday."

Selena's eyes widened. She didn't remember that. Before she knew it, she and Taylor were bickering back and forth.

And then they weren't. They couldn't. Because Taylor's eyes were lighting up as her new girl tapped her on the shoulder and asked if she wanted to go on "that date" now. And then Miley was giving Demi her car keys, saying she'd have to take Selena (she'd called her "Gomez") home. And then they were gone, leaving just the two of them, Demi looking extremely awkward.

Marvelous.

* * *

**Okayokay, please dont kill me, I'm sooo sorry for the super long wait D: and I'm also sorry it's so short :( I have this whooole thing written out, I promise, I just got lazy/distractedwithlife and never posted the rest of it. I have four more chapters after this one. I think. If anybody even wants to read this one anymore.**

**Anyway, if you read it, review it, pretty pretty please, with a cherry on top, and I'll love you forever! :D **


	7. Chapter 7

_General POV_

Demi moved a hand through her hair and shook her head. Each girl glared at the back of her best friend's head as the pair walked away from them, but neither could keep back a smile as the two girls tentatively held hands. But then the girls were gone, and the awkwardness came back.

Demi started saying, "I don't know what I-" just as Selena started saying, "I shouldn't have just-"

Both girls forced out laughs and sad smiles.

"Go ahead," Demi said.

"No, it's okay, you go." Demi sighed and looked at the ground while she spoke, picking the nail polish off of her fingers.

"I just… I don't know what I did, to make you so upset before, but I'm sorry for whatever it was."

"What?" Selena's sad smile turned into an incredulous one. "No, you didn't do _anything _wrong. I was just…" her gaze dropped for one moment before she went back to looking at Demi, who wouldn't meet her gaze, "I'm sorry for not believing you. I guess I'm… ahem… a little, um, in denial right now and, um… I don't usually tell people what I'm feeling; it's… not like me. I got scared, and I ran off, and I'm sorry for making you think it was your fault, because it wasn't, and I know that I'm seeming pretty dorky right now, and you can stop me anytime, but I just wanted you to know that even though you're not interested, I am, in you I mean, and I think it's be really nice to be with you, even though I don't-"

"I am interested," Demi said, but Selena didn't register the sound.

"-know you very well, because you've been on my mind since I saw you in the park, and I guess I just misjudged your reaction in the grocery, because I thought you _were _interested, you know, but apparently-"

"_I am interested_." Demi took Selena's hands, effectively stopping her speech. "I _am _interested," she said again. Selena brought her gaze back up to meet Demi's, and she wondered when the roles had reversed and _she _had become the shy one. Demi bit her bottom lip, and their eyes started to wander. "I'm sorry if I made you think any different," she continued. Demi hoped she could say the right words. "You've been all I could think about for the past two months. I-" she bit her lip and felt the roles change again, "I've been trying to write these songs, but… they're not finished."

Selena smiled. "I have too, actually." They unconsciously stepped closer to each other, and Demi looked up, studying Selena's features. Selena slowly brought a hand up and pushed Demi's hair out of her face, leaving her hand there to stroke her cheek. "Demi… your name, is it short for something?"

Demi's mouth formed a half-smile, and she shrugged as she answered, "My full name's Demetria Devonne Lovato."

Selena couldn't believe the poetic quality of that name. Demi blushed, as if Selena had spoken her words out loud (Selena briefly wondered if she had). The adorable flush quickly distracted Selena, and she leant just that little bit closer. They could feel each other's warm breath on their lips as they brushed the slightest bit-

"Congratulations, you guys!" Jenna seemed to appear out of nowhere with her statement, abruptly bringing the two girls out of their dream worlds and away from each other. They both smiled awkwardly and thanked Jenna. The runner-up left, and the two girls were left standing there, awkward once again.

Demi was blushing furiously, and Selena could feel the blood start to rush up her neck, so she smiled slightly at the shorter girl and tried to calm her nerves. "Feel like getting out of here?" Demi didn't look up at Selena as she nodded frantically.

Selena gently took her wrist and pulled Demi along to the parking lot. She stopped on the sidewalk, letting Demi lead the way to Miley's car.

Demi drove tensely as Selena gave her directions to her house. Her arms were straight out, her hands tight on the steering wheel. She was practically holding her breath. She knew it was awkward again, but she was never good at striking up conversation with someone she'd just _almost kissed_.

Selena tried not to stare. She really did. But she couldn't force her eyes away from the (truly) beautiful girl next to her. Such close proximity… if Selena wanted to, she could just lean over and pick up from where they'd left off on stage… and damn it all if she didn't really, _really_ want to.

Demi glanced over at Selena. "What?" she asked with a wary laugh.

"Nothing," Selena said, shaking her head, "just… I don't know."

Demi sighed. "I don't really know either." Demi's shoulders relaxed a bit at the admission. "I don't know _you_. And, um… I'd kind of like to…."

Selena sat up as they came up to her house. "Pull in here," she told Demi, and they car stopped in the driveway. Demi didn't turn the car off, and Selena didn't expect her to. "I want to get to know you too, Demi."

Demi finally turned to look at Selena, and they both found themselves lost in the darkness of each other's eyes. "Selena…" Demi's voice was almost a whisper, and the huskiness in it sent shocks of electricity through Selena's body. She glanced down at Demi's mouth as her tongue darted out, and leant forward.

* * *

**I'm sorry it's so short, again :/ but I wrote this a long time ago, when I wasn't really focused on longer chapters, and the way I wrote the story, this one just has to end here. Thank y'all so much for still reading and reviewing, even though I'm pretty much the worst updater in the world ^^' love y'all **


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